Resto Gare

Resto Gare & Train Bar
630, rue des Meurons
204-237-7072
www.restogare.com
finedine@mts.net


January 2009

For years, La Vieille Gare stood as the gem of the French Quarter. Renown for its good food, elegant atmosphere, and unique dining car, Winnipeg residents long regarded La Vieille Gare as one of the best restaurants in the city. The building was built in 1913 as a railway station and the coach car was added in 1914 as an observation room. The Kerouac family transformed the building into La Vieille Gare in 1983 and the restaurant has stood venerably since. The dining room was tall, open and classical, providing an ambiance of formal elegance. The coach car looked rustic and quaint, exuding with the character of what it would have been like to sit in a dining car at the beginning of the 20th century. In 2008, La Vieille Gare underwent a transformation and emerged as today’s Resto Gare & Train Bar, although the Kerouac family (Linda Love) continues to drive this train.

When you walked into La Vieille Gare, you knew immediately what you walked into: a glamorous dining room with glamorous food. When you walk into Resto Gare, you’re not sure what to expect. The classic wood panelling, the grand drapery and the elegant chandeliers remain, but the funky colours (think bright, bright red) and the sleek furniture tells you that everything doesn’t quite harmonise in this new dining room. I’m not sure if new age electronica or chamber music should flood the room. I can’t identify with the image. Step into the coach car and there’s no mistaking the ambiance that Love wants to impose here—French café all the way. The bright red ceiling contrasts the deep blue walls, typical of what you expect to see in the heart of Paris. Does it have the feeling of old France? Yes. Does it suit the setting of a 100 year old railway car? Definitely not. Pity. The coach car’s authenticity gave the atmosphere a genuine sense of dining in an old train as it chugged along the prairies. Now again, the restaurant suffers from an identity crisis.

From what I infer, I believe that Love wants the restaurant to reflect a casual, bistro image, rather than a formal dining room image. Consistent with this movement, the average prices on all the menu items drop by $10. The menu options remain decidedly French, even if Resto Gare slashed the size of its menu by half. Some classical French items remain, such as the chateaubriand and the grilled lamb, but typical bistro items now infiltrate the menu as well, including quiche, mussels and several kinds of crepes. Also on the menu, Resto Gare includes some Canadian French fare, like tourtiere. Finally, Resto Gare features a number of Italian options, including pastas and gnocchi, which I find unnecessary.

The salad comes in an elegant and attractive presentation. The vegetables, though unremarkable, taste fresh and crisp. The balsamic vinaigrette tastes sharp and delightful, and comes as a bargain for $6. I opt for the classical French fare so I choose the bourguignon, braised in cabernet. The amount is not overly generous, but adequate; however, the deep, complex taste leaves me yearning for more. The beautiful juices add delicious flavour to the beef, which they cook to perfect tenderness. After all the beef disappears, the remaining juices nicely flow into the rich mashed potatoes. Spectacular, and a bargain at $19.

Although I didn’t sample enough dishes to credibly review their food, what I did sample tells me that Resto Gare did nothing to hurt the quality of food in their makeover. I question the décor that adorns the restaurant and coach car but the food makes up for it. And if they want to charge $10 per plate less to look at the décor, I’m fine with that.

**** /5


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